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google.com is redirected to a different site

I run Windows Vista Home Premium, Service Pack 2 on a Dell Insipiron 1525

For the last several hours, I have been receiving a sporadic redirect whenever I use urls that contain google.com

Instead of the regular google page, I am redirect to another site, which appears to be for travel. When I try to access country-specific google sites (such as google.co.in , google.com.hk, google.co.uk and so on), I receive a 403 error. This error extends to mail.google.com and other similar services.
Other search engines do not seem to be affected, however when this problem comes up, I lose access to the Kaspersky and TrendMicro websites

I have looked at the hosts file, which is in Windows\System32\Drivers\etc and it is the same as default. I also noted that there are no extra copies of the host file that show up upon search.

Strangely the problem is intermittent, and appears to have something to do with enabling or disabling of javascript on my browsers. That said, I am yet to figure out what that exact link between the two is.
For the most part, if I leave javascript enabled for some time, the redirect problem starts again. Following this, I disable javascript, open the hosts file as an administrator and save it (it never seems to have any changes), close all my browsers.
After this sequence, occasionally, google begins to work again.

I face the same issue with Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Opera

The period of time after which I face automatic redirects after enabling javascript seems highly variable.

I have also tried to get to google's IP address directly, and this works. However, this isn't greatly helpful because searches don't work either.

So far I have scanned my computer with McAfee, as well as Malaware Bytes, neither of which have found any issues. I also scanned with TrendMicro Housecall during the periods where the redirect issue had stopped. I'm not sure how useful that last scan is.

This is my first time posting on a forum such as this, so if I have left out any information please do let me know.

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Trouble connecting: Google.com automatically takes me to another Google site

In a nutshell

If you find yourself on a country-specific Google homepage, such as http://www.google.co.uk, you can always easily get back to Google.com by clicking the link below the search box.

Google Web Search is customized for a number of countries and regions across the world. For example, Google.fr provides search results that are most relevant for users in France; Google.co.jp is the Google domain for Japan. We try to direct users to the site that will give them the most relevant results.Changing your settings

If you'd rather use a different Google site, like Google.com, no matter where you are, try one of the following tips:

Reboot into Safe Mode with Networking How to enter safe mode(XP)Using the F8 MethodRestart your computer. When the machine first starts again it will generally list some equipment that is installed in your machine, amount of memory, hard drives installed etc. At this point you should gently tap the F8 key repeatedly until you are presented with a Windows XP Advanced Options menu. Select the option for Safe Mode with Networking using the arrow keys. Then press enter on your keyboard to boot into Safe Mode.

>>>> Download this file and doubleclick on it to run it. Allow the information to be merged with the registry.

RKill....

Download and Run RKill

Please download RKill by Grinler from one of the 4 links below and save it to your desktop.

Before we begin, you should disable your anti-malware softwares you have installed so they do not interfere RKill running as some anti-malware softwares detect RKill as malicious. Please refer to this page if you are not sure how.

Double-click on Rkill on your desktop to run it. (If you are using Windows Vista, please right-click on it and select Run As Administrator)

A black screen will appear and then disappear. Please do not worry, that is normal. This means that the tool has been successfully executed.

If nothing happens or if the tool does not run, please let me know in your next reply

Do not reboot your computer after running rkill as the malware programs will start again. Or if rebooting is required run it again.

If you continue having problems running rkill.com, you can download iExplore.exe or eXplorer.exe, which are renamed copies of rkill.com, and try them instead.

Double-click SUPERAntiSpyware.exe and use the default settings for installation.

An icon will be created on your desktop. Double-click that icon to launch the program.

If asked to update the program definitions, click "Yes". If not, update the definitions before scanning by selecting "Check for Updates". (If you encounter any problems while downloading the updates, manually download them from here. Double-click on the hyperlink for Download Installer and save SASDEFINITIONS.EXE to your desktop. Then double-click on SASDEFINITIONS.EXE to install the definitions.)

In the Main Menu, click the Preferences... button.

Click the Scanning Control tab.

Under Scanner Options make sure the following are checked (leave all others unchecked):

Close browsers before scanning.

Scan for tracking cookies.

Terminate memory threats before quarantining.

Click the "Close" button to leave the control center screen.

Back on the main screen, under "Scan for Harmful Software" click Scan your computer.

On the left, make sure you check C:\Fixed Drive.

On the right, under "Complete Scan", choose Perform Complete Scan.

Click "Next" to start the scan. Please be patient while it scans your computer.

After the scan is complete, a Scan Summary box will appear with potentially harmful items that were detected. Click "OK".

Make sure everything has a checkmark next to it and click "Next".

A notification will appear that "Quarantine and Removal is Complete". Click "OK" and then click the "Finish" button to return to the main menu.

If asked if you want to reboot, click "Yes".

To retrieve the removal information after reboot, launch SUPERAntispyware again.

Click Preferences, then click the Statistics/Logs tab.

Under Scanner Logs, double-click SUPERAntiSpyware Scan Log.

If there are several logs, click the current dated log and press View log. A text file will open in your default text editor.

Please copy and paste the Scan Log results in your next reply.

Click Close to exit the program.

If you have a problem downloading, installing or getting SAS to run, try downloading and using the SUPERAntiSpyware Portable Scanner instead. Save the randomly named file (i.e. SAS_1710895.COM) to a usb drive or CD and transfer to the infected computer. Then double-click on it to launch and scan. The file is randomly named to help keep malware from blocking the scanner.